This invention relates generally to a machine for harvesting crops in a field and forming a windrow of cut crop, more particularly, to a specialized header for harvesting specialty crop with an apparatus to smooth crop flow around the cutterbar drive apparatus for efficient crop feeding into the header without damaging the crop.
In modern crop harvesting machines, it is desirable to optimize cutting headers for specific crops in order to maximize harvesting efficiency. Such optimized headers are typically based on existing headers with specific-purpose modifications incorporated to alter finite portions of the crop flow within the header to suit the specific crop. This approach helps control production costs of the equipment and extends the life cycle of a basic header design.
One specific application involves harvesting of grasses, seed or other specialty crops having seeds on a stem which must be cut and dried in a windrow a desired amount before undertaking operations to separate the seed from the stems. Care must be taken when working with such crops to minimize disturbances to the cut crop material which results in dislodgement and loss of the seeds, especially when a rotary disc cutterbar is used. A cutting header must be capable of cutting the crop from the ground and forming a windrow to allow crop drying in advance of subsequent harvesting operations. Experience has shown that changes to crop conveying and handling devices in the header are necessary to streamline crop movement in the header to reduce disturbances to the crop which result in dislodgement of the seeds from the stems.
Headers having a windrow transverse width less than the transverse cutting width of the disc cutterbar requires that the severed crop be conveyed laterally and inwardly in the header for a distance before being discharged rearwardly into the windrow. A number of devices have been created to effect the conveyance of this severed crop. In one known configuration, a drive shaft mechanism extends downwardly from the superstructure of the header to attach to one of the disc cutters and provide driving power to the cutterbar, similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,822, issued on Jan. 19, 1993, to McLean, et al. Many shafts include a crop conveying drum mounted for rotation with the shaft to protect the shaft from crop entanglement and to assist with conveyance of the severed crop into the header. The positioning of this drive shaft mechanism within the normal path of crop movement results in undesirable disruption of the crop material as it is fed which is especially troublesome when specialty, seed-bearing crops are involved.
It would be desirable to provide an alternative method for smoothing and managing seed-bearing crop flow into a header which reduces the loss of seed from the crop due to interaction with the cutterbar drive mechanism while efficiently conveying severed crop material within the header toward a centrally located discharge zone for formation of a windrow that overcomes the above problems and limitations.